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Overview

THE RIVER READER, 12th Edition (formerly THE RIVERSIDE READER), is a collection of expository essays arranged by rhetorical modes: narration and description, process and analysis, comparison and contrast, division and classification, definition, cause and effect, and persuasion and argument. A final thematic unit, "Food: A Casebook," illustrates all of these modes. The readings, which include short stories, represent diverse voices and views from some of the most respected professional essayists working in the English language. Essays in this edition serve as structural models for students to emulate in their writing and as sources of content for classroom discussion and paper topics. Headnotes and post-reading material analyze each reading in context, helping students better understand the craft of writing and apply what they learn to their own work. The 12th Edition is available with MindTap. Each student text is packaged with a free Cengage Essential Reference Card to the MLA HANDBOOK, Eighth Edition.

Meet the Authors

Joseph F. Trimmer,
Ball State University

Joseph F. Trimmer is Professor of English Emeritus and Director Emeritus of The Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry at Ball State University. He is the author of numerous articles on literature, culture, and literacy, including THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION: THE FIRST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS (1978), UNDERSTANDING OTHERS: CULTURAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES AND THE TEACHING OF LITERATURE (1992), and NARRATION AS KNOWLEDGE: TALES OF THE TEACHING LIFE (1997). Professor Trimmer has also worked on 20 documentary films for PBS, including the six-part series, "Middletown" (1982). His textbooks include WRITING WITH A PURPOSE, 14th Edition (2004), THE RIVER READER, 12th Edition (formerly the RIVERSIDE READER (2016), and eFICTIONS (2002). Trimmer's A GUIDE TO MLA DOCUMENTATION, 9th Edition is a perennial bestseller; he has also published A GUIDE TO APA DOCUMENTATION.

What's New

To provide students with quick and easy access to the latest changes in MLA style, The Cengage Essential Reference Card to the MLA HANDBOOK, Eighth Edition, is packaged free with each student text.

A new casebook, "Food," presents variations on the theme of food. The eight essays and one short story, which are arranged to repeat the patterns presented in the seven rhetorical chapters, illustrate how such strategies enable a writer to investigate a theme from a variety of perspectives. Selections, among others, include Laurie Colwin's "How to Fry Chicken," Michael Pollen's "Eat Food: Food Defined," and Andres Dubus's "The Fat Girl."

An eight-page, full-color photographic essay, "Images of Food," emphasizes the power of images to evoke ideas and insights. Each image is followed by a writing assignment that encourages students to connect what they see with what they read and plan to write.

This edition includes new paired articles that promote students' critical thinking. For example, the selections in the chapter on persuasion and argument have been paired to present different perspectives on the purpose of student athletics and a liberal arts education--topics that will be of interest and relevance to many students.

Features

From the simple to the more complex, a range of readings appears throughout the text, while paired readings offer pro and con perspectives on hot topics.

Annotated and alternate thematic tables of contents facilitate syllabus building and offer flexibility in planning.

An introductory section promotes active reading, with Guidelines for Reading an Essay, a sample analysis of an essay, and Guidelines for Writing an Essay. Accompanying questions concerning purpose, audience, and strategy help students think critically about writing.

Visual texts, including one photograph per chapter and an eight-page color photo essay on food, emphasize the power of images to evoke insights and ideas. They also provide new ways for students to create writing topics based on what they see.

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This Cengage solution can be seamlessly integrated into most Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Brightspace by D2L, Canvas, Moodle, and more) but does require a different ISBN for access codes. Please work with your Cengage Learning Consultant to ensure the proper course set up and ordering information. For additional information, please visit the LMS Integration site.